Minimizing Restroom Slips and Falls Depends on Keeping Water in its Place

Standing water and floors make a bad combination. We’ve all learned the hard way: If your foot comes in contact with a little water on flooring surface, it can be enough to set you off to sail.

A slip occurs when there is not enough traction or friction between a person’s shoe and the floor surface. The result is a quick and unfortunate shift in balance that causes a person to fall backwards.

These accidents are no laughing matters for the injured – or business owners:

When you look at the common causes of slips and falls in restrooms, wet floors are often the culprit. Think of all the ways that water can spray, drip, trickle, seep and trail around public restroom areas:

Water splashing outside the basin while washing.

Water dripping on the floor due to users reaching for soap dispensers or towels/dryers installed next to the hand washing unit.

Water spraying from hands while using high-speed hand dryers.

Water leaked around toilet area that is tracked across the restroom floor.

These commercial restroom design tips helps minimize water dripping and splashing on the floor:

Increase the accessibility of hand washing elements – soap, tap, towels, hand dryers and trash receptacles. By keeping everything positioned close together, there’s less chance of water escaping the sink and dripping on the floor.

Use all-in-one hand washing fixtures that keep soap, water and dyer in one space. Bradley’s Verge with WashBar, OmniDeck with WashBar and Advocate AV-Series Hand Washing System all incorporate this 3-in one concept. For example, the WashBar dryer is engineered to work in tandem with the bowl to help to contain water in the sink, minimize water splashes on the user, floor and walls. Plus, since the design is all-in-one, there’s no need to move across the room with wet drippy hands to access a dryer.

And, of course, frequently clean, mop, dry and maintain restrooms to help minimize standing water, and use highly visible signage after cleaning to put restroom-goers on alert.